As taylorce1 said, remove the rear sight. When you put it in a baggie, oil it. I have set these aside and came back and found rust on them because I didn't oil them. Yes, the rings need to be replaced.

Well, since you have some .222 ammo now, it is a good time to point out that Remington also chambered the 788 in that caliber. I have both and think that the .222 is the more accurate, and also more pleasant to shoot, albeit not as powerful as the .22-250. Both guns benefited from glass bedding. There are probably not as many .222s on the market as .22-250s, but you can find one if you remain vigilant.

Two days ago I bought a 788 / 22.250 that I intend to use for coyotes. I paid $200 for It. It was really dirty and would fire when you slammed the bolt closed. It came with a Tasco 3-9 scope and A Harris 3 stage bypod. It cleaned up really good . I floated it and now it is at the Smiths for a new Timney trigger and replace a couple of screws that I didn't like The bluing is fine and the Birch is in real good condition so I have confidence that it will be a real good weapon when I am through with it.

I really like the plain jane looks of a 788. Sounds like a good find. After market triggers are the best in the long run for these antiquated rifles. My gunsmith took the creep out of mine and reduced the pull down to about 2.5 lbs, but if I had to do it again, I would replace the trigger group.

Interesting to me that some find it necessary to replace the trigger on their Model 788s. The one I had came with a very nice trigger and was plenty accurate. Some have criticized the Model 788 for having rear locking bolt lugs because this location can cause case stretching more/faster than more conventional front locking bolt-actions do. I didn't find it to be a big problem but case trimming did have to be performed more frequently in mine.

$250.00 is a super great price for a nice Model 788 in my neck of the woods!

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nteresting to me that some find it necessary to replace the trigger on their Model 788

s.

I don't find it necessary to replace the trigger, but as nice and accurate as these rifles are, they are worth the investment. My trigger is great also, but finding a good gunsmith that would not be afraid to do a trigger job on it may be difficult.

If you like Timney triggers, they sell them for the 788 for $130. 30 some years ago, I put a trigger shoe on mine and I've lived with it since then. I'm thinking a Timney trigger might be in my future. My 788 has no creep....it's just a lot heavier than I prefer.

Thanks coyota1. Mine hasn't seen a lot of use these past years. I did drop a different scope on it and have started working up some loads for it. It seems to have a distinct taste for 40 gr V-Max bullets.

Cool that your was in the correctional system. Don't see that too often. Nice price on the Timney. The price I quoted was from the factory, which is about 4 miles down the street from where I live.

That prison was about a mile the way the crow flies from where I live. Back in the 70's it was St Augustine Seminary. They converted it into a minimum security prison, and everybody was outraged. "It went from heaven to hell". They thought they were gonna be hostages of escapees. When they closed the prison everybody complained about all the jobs leaving. I call the rifle a souvenir. That's the story behind the rifle. It's still a tackdriver!

I find the .22-250 to be overlooked by many shooters. Many opt for the .243, which i think is a mistake. You have a fine rifle there for a decent price, will take lots of varmint for sure. Or punch groups only as tight as you are capable of like any good rifle will do.

Just a suggestion, and if the rifle fits you leave it the way it is. I would remove the front sight and get some lower rings if it were my rifle.

+1^

The height on that scope pretty much precludes a good "cheek to stock weld" (solid contact of your cheek with the stock) and being able to look through the scope. The see-thru mounts are just a bad idea. They give you none of the benefits of open sights and wreck any chance of good form when using the glass.

If you do get lower mounts, and keep the same large objective lensed scope, you'll have to lose the rear sight, and my have to put a comb raising kit on the stock.

Try this: close your eyes, and shoulder the rifle. Open your eyes. What do you see?

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